It’s not hard to see that conspiracy theories flourish just about anywhere in the world. This time around we’ll go through some of the wackiest conspiracy theories, both classic and recent, to have ever come out of Asia. Sparked by anti-Western paranoia, mysticism, or just flat-out insanity, these crazy conspiracy theories serve as proof that Asia definitely has its fair share of far-out nutjobs.

It would be nice to see what the Eastern way of thinking has to say about Western apocalyptic beliefs that bring fear and anxiety.

Do you trust your local television media? In Japan, some folks are suspicious of the country's television media. Here's why.

Previously, Kotaku reported how some television news segments appeared to be what's called "yarase" or "staged" (here and here), allegedly filled with phoney people pretending to be regular folks called "sakura." As previously explained, this "sakura" literally means "fake customer" and is different from the "sakura" for cherry blossoms.

There is reason to be suspicious, as last year a variety show called Hokotate was cancelled after it was revealed to have been staged.

For television news in Japan, there are instances where it looks like random "person on the street" interviews are anything but. Conspiracy adherents say that the networks allegedly hire unknown actors or small-time performers to pose as regular folks and give good soundbites for news programs. Some people are shy! And camera crews might have a difficult time getting the answers they want to fit their narrative.

It appears as the same people are interviewed on different topics, sometimes by different networks, over the span of years. Honestly, what are the chances of that?

This article begins with two seemingly different, but conceptually linked stories. Conspiracy theories, meaning the belief that certain actors (usually in a place of power) have hidden plans to somehow negatively affect society, can be seen in both cases. Still, the differences are more telling.

The first account deals with a belief promoted by an exceptionally successful (if short lived) social organization. The second story is more personal in nature and helps to remind us that conspiracy theories represent a type of thought that is almost universal. While certain patterns are more common than others (something we will be exploring below) we should remember that these sorts of ideas have appeared in many cultures and among many widely divergent types of people. No one is totally immune to this mode of reasoning.

The martial arts are especially interesting in this regard. The immediate physical feedback that one receives in training (either a punch landed or it didn’t, either a movement was executed with “relaxation” or it wasn’t) might at first seem to push these systems towards a sort of experimental empiricism. Certain thinkers (including Bruce Lee) have explicitly advocated that approach.

A 19th century print of one of the 47 Ronin, the original Japanese martial arts conspiracy theorists.

Filipinos are typically warm, friendly, and diligent people. But behind their accommodating natures lie several dark secrets—webs of conspiracies that range from the plausible to the downright bizarre.